January 25, 2004
TRUMAN CAPOTE MAYBE:
Once Were Warriors: On foreign policy, are the Democrats again the party of Truman? (WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, January 25, 2004, Wall Streeet Journal)
Are the Democrats coming back to their roots? It is still very early in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, but with more than 80% of Iowa caucus-goers endorsing candidates who voted at least to authorize the U.S. strike against Iraq, it is beginning to look as if the Democrats are ready to put the antiwar temptation behind them in order to challenge George W. Bush for the White House.That would be good news for the Democrats. No antiwar candidate can win a national contest in 2004. It would also be good news for the country and for the world. The illusion that a Democratic administration would abandon the vigorous prosecution of the war on terror is one of the few hopes to which America's enemies can still cling.
That's nicely put, but Harry Truman, if memory serves, didn't ask for French permission to nuke Hiroshima and recognized the state of Israel so unilaterally that General Marshall almost resigned.
MORE:
Wannabes vs. a true leader (Ruben Navarrette Jr., 1/25/04, Dallas Morning News)
As they mull over their presidential choices, Americans were provided last week with a dramatic contrast in leadership styles - between those who practice leadership and those who concentrate on style.Posted by Orrin Judd at January 25, 2004 9:09 AMPresident Bush gave up no ground in his State of the Union address. He was downright defiant as he spelled out what his administration had accomplished to fight terrorism, lower taxes and make schools accountable. He was iron-willed when he laid down what he wanted Congress to do. From gay marriage to immigration to the Patriot Act, no subject seemed too hot to handle.
Throughout the speech, Bush seemed to be drawing a rhetorical line in the sand and saying unequivocally and without apology: "This is where I'll make my stand, whether you stand with me or not."
How terribly refreshing. And, frankly, how unlike anything you've heard from the Democratic presidential candidates. Part of the problem may be that the Democratic contest is full of people who aren't sure what they stand for.
Most of the Democratic hopefuls would be in far better shape today if they had never hired pollsters when they entered the campaign. But shaping your beliefs according to whatever the latest tracking poll says is trendy is part of the party's Clinton legacy.
Posted by: John at January 25, 2004 9:50 AMCan't be president if you don't win the nomination. The question is, can you be president if you do win the Democratic nomination?
Posted by: David Cohen at January 25, 2004 11:14 AMWhat John said. It's called standing fluid.
Posted by: Genecis at January 25, 2004 12:39 PMDavid: It appears that you can't even seek reelection to a statewide office in the South given the positions you have to take seeking the Democratic nomination (Edwards and Graham).
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen at January 25, 2004 6:25 PM